13/08/2020 Gulf migrant workers face crisis of unpaid wages amid pandemic enter email address Sign Up “Our fellow citizens have made our country proud through their hard work overseas, and we have a duty to ensure that — particularly in these difficult times — their concerns are heard and addressed in a comprehensive manner,” Tharoor mentioned in his letter. Weak rule of law As some Gulf businesses try to pass the cost of the COVID-19-induced recession on to vulnerable workers, pay cuts imposed unilaterally by employers have also been institutionalized. In Dubai, a Nepali worker at a private school told Al-Monitor the salary of over 100 non-teaching staff, including hers, has been slashed by half since late May 2020. “The manager told us, ‘This is our new rule; if you do not accept it, go back to your country,’” she said.  Moreover, the company’s housing facility requests she pay half of her $200 monthly income for bed space. This is in violation of the United Arab Emirate's (UAE) labor accommodation requirements. Recently, roughly 100 migrant workers employed by a Qatari subcontractor to build a FIFA World Cup stadium worked for as many as seven months without pay. “Some subcontractors will only pay workers if they are paid further up the chain,” said Ryszard Cholewinski, senior migration specialist for Arab states at the International Labor Organization (ILO). https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2020/08/gulf-migrant-workers-wages-covid19-qatar-uae-india-nepal.html 4/12